Christmas is over and my purchases for friends and family are concluded. Although I am happy to be done, I am one of those guys who enjoy shopping.

I admit to being a rare breed of male because I not only enjoy it, but I’m good at it. There are a lot of reasons why I suppose.

The Carbon County Traveler

Mike Armstrong

One of the great things about New Year’s holidays is that friends get in touch or I get in touch with them.

This weekend, my buddy Darby Doll and I talked.

Darby lives in Taiwan with his wife and daughter. He is originally from Encampment and he is the person who introduced me to Wyoming and Carbon County some 25 years ago.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

New Year’s Eve is probably one of the days that many people throw caution to the wind and believe they will be okay even if they overindulge in alcohol. It is also a time when people mix alcohol, which is definitely not a good idea.

The Carbon County Travler

Mike Armstrong

The first time I moved to China, it was not to Shanghai or Beijing. I had visited both cities before I moved to Da Lu (meaning big country), the Chinese name for China, but neither is where I first settled.

Before I moved to China, I had recently left Taiwan and was living in Wyoming.

Hello everyone! Welcome to the Holiday and New Year period here in Southern Wyoming’s small towns!

Peace and prosperity in 2026 remain in that gray realm between uncertainty and mystery. Reality is not in our control, but you and I, with our friends and neighbors, are more or less isolated from the travails endured by our multi-millions of inhabitants trapped in big cities.

The Carbon County Traveler

Mike Armstrong

My dang front tooth has decided it is not going to hold a filling. There just is not enough of it to keep one.

I have to say this is not because Dr. David Scott out of Saratoga has not tried brilliantly to make this filling last, but after a third time of it coming out, I have to raise the white flag and listen to what my dentist tells me are my options.

By Alex Bakken  

Carbon County Sheriff

On the 16th of December 2025, the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office officially entered a Law Enforcement Services MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Town of Baggs. Per the terms of the agreement, the Town of Baggs will receive twenty (20) hours of Carbon County Sheriff’s Office patrol coverage per month, in addition to emergency response to 911 calls. 

Growing up, I was blessed to have two families that wanted my sister and me to have great Christmases.

My father and mother remarried when I was five, and I don’t believe it was an amicable divorce. Neither of my parents were fond of the other’s spouse and there were often little battles. So there was a little competition when it came to birthdays and Christmas presents.

Let's Talk

Henry Nicolle

Guilty as charged! Yep, I did it. I expressed my displeasure with the increasingly intolerable rule of institutional command and control over individual life that is purported to be in the “Interest and for the Benefit of the Public”. “To Protect and Serve”, is the generic motto, regardless of the reality of the actual performance.

The Carbon County Traveler

Mike Armstrong

I enjoyed being considered one of the smartest kids in my class in elementary school. In 4th grade, I was put in a 4th/5th class and I did well.

In 6th grade, I got excellent grades and I had a voice that had me singing solos. I was a fairly happy kid and I even enjoyed a bit of popularity with classmates and teachers.

You are reading an opinion column titled “Let’s Talk”. The column space and publication in the Carbon County Comet newspaper is a generous gift from Michael Armstrong and Dana Davis.

By MIke Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

A double hernia is not a condition that should be ignored.

Unfortunately, many people assume this issue doesn’t require attention, so repairs are often delayed or ignored. That’s a mistake.

My buddy Darby (Grandson of Buck and Ardyce Hoem of Cow Creek) called me from Taiwan over the holidays. We had not been in contact for about 3 months, which is very unusual for us. We normally initiate contact about every three weeks.

Given he lives in Taiwan and the hours are not always easy to align, talking every three weeks is pretty good.

Perceptions of Carbon are of small-town personalities and characters. Most people presume the various artificial entities “persons” as our “community”. Those perceptions would be misleading. The men and women and kids are our real communities

A few sentences now,  to set the context for this issue of Let’s Talk!

Carbon County Traveler

Mike Armstrong

Thanksgiving was always a big day at both my parents’ homes. When my father and mother got divorced, in the custody decree, Thanksgiving was spent one year with my father and the next year with my mother.

When I got older and could drive, I would split the day between the two.